Skip navigation

Monthly Archives: January 2021

Roses

A white rose for my Grandma and a pink rose for my Mama.

When I think of my Grandmother it’s always accompanied by roses. Beautiful red old fashioned trailing roses next to the house. Meticulously tooled leather roses on all of her things. Bouquets of fresh flowers with roses on her “bar”. In her middle name.

Grandma when she married Grandpa W., and the face I remember.

It’s been 16 years now since she entered her rest. She may be absent from this world, but she’s always there in the shadows of my mind. Some times she comes out of my mouth, with some little phrase. When I make potato salad. Sometimes it’s her picture I find while looking for something else. Other times it’s in the way Thing 1 looks when she holds her head a certain way. I see her in my Mom too.

Today I light a candle for Emma Rosetta Wadkins, of blessed memory.

The human soul is a light from God.

See also: https://alaskaonmymind.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/one-decade/

Busy Little Bees

That’s how I feel this past week has gone, a busy, buzzy, blur.

We took last Friday off to spend the weekend at the cabin. I love going to the cabin but it requires a significant amount of preparation what with taking six people and a dog. So the day off from building work was spent on prepping work, grocery planning and shopping along with packing food and supplies. Then there’s the loading of the snow machines and gear, which Dean usually takes care of. So not really a “day off” from working.

But when you finally get there, the peace and quiet sets in and all that hustle and bustle is worthwhile. Then it feels like you’re a lazy little bee buzzing leisurely from flower to flower without a care in the world.

Back to work Monday and along came the snow. Dean works snow removal at nights when we’re in a snow cycle. Monday night was snow removal after building that day. Then Tuesday we started at a one hour delay and worked a short day because he had to go in Tuesday night. Weds was another short day and as soon as we got back from work we got a call for another moose salvage, so back out to collect a very young injured moose that had to be put down. Another late night. Moose takes precedence. Dean was supposed to work snow removal that night so Jake filled in so we could get the moose.

Thursday was another “day off” to work up the moose that we’d prepped and quartered the night (early morning?) before. Dean worked snow removal that night and I worked the moose.

Feeling a bit like burning the candle at both ends. Today we’re just wiped out. It’s not productive to try to build in cold temps while also being physically exhausted, neither is it safe. So we’re home again today. I’ll work on canning some of this moose meat, there’s nothing quite as good as fresh canned moose. And maybe take a nap.

I’ve never been more grateful to have so much to do.

A bee’s work is never done. 🐝

#gratefulforallthethings

#Aklife

Winter Time Fun

The kids have been enjoying their new sleds at home. The driveway is well packed down and they can get a pretty good run going.

Little Mister has been learning to ride Lil’ Bit’s snow machine. He’s doing pretty good. Takes it nice and easy so far. His Dad packed down a trail around the cabin so he could get some practice laps in. Then he took him out on the trail for a longer ride.

Back to Building

We started a new rec cabin this week. It’s been a long break but I’m back.

This is a 14’×20′ on a picturesque lot overlooking Island Lake.

It’s always exciting to start a new project.

Beams and floor joists on techno metal posts.
Subfloor down.
Temp stairs, door framed and first two logs laid.

Hoping to end the week with three courses of logs done. We’ll see how tomorrow goes!

#aklife

#shebuilds

#winterwork

Sausage Day

Today we started working this moose up into sausage. Our two mainstays are country style sage breakfast sausage and Italian sausage. I took some time this morning to figure out my seasoning mixes before heading to the store to pick up a few necessary items.

Country breakfast sausage blend

It took me a lot longer than planned to get my shopping done so Dean prepped the grinder and started working on the moose before I got home. What a guy! He and Little Mister we’re ready to get grinding by the time I got my two sausage mixes ready.

Italian style sausage blend

Little Mister was very helpful but the grinder was too loud for him so…

Now it’s not so loud!

He and Dad got the first grind done then he helped Mom second grind and package our breakfast sausage. We got 10 lbs.

Breakfast sausage

My country sausage blend was a tad on the salty side. Note to self to adjust blend a little for the next batch.

We ended up with 20# of Italian sausage. I think there’s about 10 more pounds of meat left to process before getting the dog food started. Tomorrow we’ll do it all again.

#AKfood

#mooseisgood

AK49 Day

This day in 1959 Alaska entered the Union to become the 49th State. Happy AK49 Day!

Read more about it here.

#AK49

#Alaskaispartoftheusa

#werenotanislandinthepacific

#weuseUSdollarstoo

Moose Salvage

It’s a thing here in Alaska, to salvage moose after vehicle collision. If your lucky enough to get called, a quick response is required. Go pick up the critter beside the road and then bring it home to process it.

We got a call this morning just in time for Dean to load it into the truck and get it home, hang it up for me then leave for work. Lucky guy. So guess who got to process this little fella single handedly? Well I did have a good bit of assistance from Thing 2, so there’s that.

We had a host of onlookers patiently waiting for a scrap or two.

3 of the 11 eagles who came by to watch.
The first feathered friend to visit. They are so big.

It was cold today and I had to work against the sub zero temps. It took me about 3-4 hours but I got this little guy quartered and in the house to clean up and prep for processing. The rest of the day was spent picking hair, cleaning and cutting up the quarters. My bathtub looked like Lizzy Borden had been there.

This calf was pretty small. About half of him was too damaged for human consumption so will be made into dog food for Panda Bear. The rest of him will be processed into tasty breakfast sausage.

Its bittersweet when a young moose goes this way, but we’re thankful for the opportunity to make something good come from it. Tomorrow will be another full day of grinding, making sausage and dog food.

#alaskalife

#moosesalvage

Happy New Year

With a little jazz and speakeasy flair we welcomed the new year alaskan style, of course.

Fireworks at midnight.

Hopefully 2021 has better things in store for us than last year.

#alaskafireworks

#newyearseve

#happynewyear